One swallow does not a summer make.

(Click on letter to download original from Department for Transport website.)

The Fact Compiler is to UK railways, as Guido Fawkes is to Westminster politics.

The Fact Compiler does not reckon that Lord Adonis’s letter to a retired civil servant – much hyped in the UK media – is evidence of a real intention by the current UK government to build a North – South high speed railway line.

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times he has met the Scottish Executive Minister to discuss proposals for a high-speed rail line to Scotland.

Paul Clark: The Minister of State, Lord Adonis, spoke to the Scottish Executive Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change regarding high speed rail services to Scotland in January. Officials from the Department for Transport meet regularly with Scottish Executive officials to discuss a range of cross-border transport issues, including rail.